It’s a fact that recycling and better waste management are important to the environment. But they’re also important to supply chains. Recycling keeps materials out of landfills, which reduces their size and helps them decompose more quickly.
In fact, according to the U.S. EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), recycling helps decrease the amount of waste transferred to landfills and incinerators, which is good for the environment. Plus, it also assists in generating employment opportunities in the recycling and manufacturing industries across the U.S.
Furthermore, according to UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme), 400 million tonnes of plastic garbage is generated around the world every year. This number could increase significantly if we do not take action today.
As such, it is imperative that we recycle more effectively so that we can reduce our carbon footprint and preserve our planet’s resources for future generations.
Moreover, the staggering figures and facts call for efficient general waste collection and supply chain waste management systems. General waste collection involves collecting all types of waste and taking it to a facility where it can be sorted, recycled, and/or disposed of properly. The goal is to reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfills or in rivers and oceans.
Convert Waste Into Raw Materials
Better supply chain waste management can help the environment because it reduces the amount of waste that is generated during production. This means that there will be less to take care of at the end of the process, and it also means that there will be less pollution.
When an entity produces goods, it creates waste in the form of leftover materials, damaged products, and so on. This can include things like plastic bottles or cardboard boxes that were used during transportation or storage. If these items are not properly disposed of or recycled, they may end up in landfills, where they can cause harm to wildlife and pollute water supplies.
If companies and governments have a better way of managing their supply chain waste management, then they can reduce their overall impact on the environment by reducing how much waste is created in the first place.
In line with this, many governments are taking initiatives that include using sustainable materials with an aim to reduce waste. The city council of Bournemouth, an England south coast resort town, has announced that its rubbish collection vans will henceforth use advanced biofuels such as hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), a type of renewable fuel.
According to the city government, this is a crucial trial that advances its efforts to fulfill the government’s waste strategy commitment to reuse all food waste by 2030.
Conserve Energy and Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions
When we are trying to reduce our supply chain’s impact on the environment, we have a lot of options. We can make sure we are using eco-friendly packaging and materials, but what about the waste from those materials? How do we ensure that it doesn’t end up in landfills or pollute the air?
According to the UNEP, 11.2 billion tonnes of solid waste are reportedly collected year, and the decomposition of organic solid waste is responsible for 5% of the global greenhouse gas emissions.
The first step in finding a solution is to reduce waste. The recovery of resources and energy from rubbish, as well as the remanufacturing and recycling of waste into usable items, should be considered the second-best solution when waste cannot be avoided. Many resources are saved through recycling. For every tonne of recycled paper, for instance, 17 trees and 50% more water can be saved.
This is because recycling is an inherently more efficient process than creating new products from scratch. When we recycle something, we are turning back into raw materials, something that already exists, which means there’s less need for new raw materials to be mined or manufactured.
And since manufacturing processes are often very energy-intensive, this can be a huge help in reducing the amount of energy used in the production process.
Courses that aim to educate and equip firms of all scales and sizes on this goal already exist. Those involved in the supply chain industry would do well to explore them, such as the strategic carbon management courses of Carbon Training International.
Improve the Efficiency of Our Supply Chains
As the world becomes more aware of the impact that our supply chains have on the environment, we need to do better. It’s not just about doing what’s right. It’s about doing what’s best for our business, too.
Recycling and better waste management can help improve the efficiency of our supply chains in two ways: it reduces costs and increases revenue.
Let’s look at how recycling improves supply chain efficiency by reducing costs. When companies and governments recycle, they reduce their need to buy new materials or create new products from scratch. That means less money spent on raw materials or other supplies, which translates into savings that can be passed directly onto customers through lower prices or reinvested back into research and development (R&D).
Now let’s look at how better waste management improves supply chain efficiency by increasing revenue. When we reduce our waste stream by recycling properly and keeping it out of landfills, we are also reducing our carbon footprint by keeping harmful greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere.
This makes our interests more attractive to potential investors who care about sustainability initiatives, and those investors may be willing to pay more for our goods than they would if they knew nothing about these efforts.
Here are some more concrete ways companies can achieve this goal:
- Waste auditing and analysis: Conduct a thorough waste audit across the entire supply chain. Identify waste sources, types, and quantities generated at each stage. Analyze the data to pinpoint critical areas for improvement.
- Collaborative supplier engagement: Collaborate closely with suppliers to align waste reduction goals. Encourage suppliers to adopt green practices, use eco-friendly materials, and implement efficient packaging solutions to minimize waste generation during transit.
- Demand forecasting and inventory management: Accurate demand forecasting helps prevent overproduction and excessive inventory buildup. Companies can reduce waste from excess products or materials by aligning production with actual demand.
- Lean manufacturing principles: Apply lean principles to streamline processes and eliminate wasteful activities. By optimizing workflows, reducing overproduction, and minimizing excess inventory, companies can simultaneously lower waste generation and cut costs.
- Sustainability reporting and transparency: Communicate waste reduction efforts to stakeholders through sustainability reports. Transparency builds trust among customers, investors, and partners, showcasing the company’s commitment to sustainable practices.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is clear that a better waste management methods are more than a matter of convenience. It’s also an issue of sustainability and responsibility. Recycling is not only good for the environment; it also reduces carbon footprint, helps to reduce water and air pollution, and can even be a source of revenue.